Munro Makes...

Finally - a Crochet Blanket Just For Me!

Firstly let me say how utterly ashamed I am for the colossal gap between my last post and this one. I have no excuse and ask for no forgiveness so I suggest we just brush over it and move on!

I've yet to write these up but I've recently made a huge circle throw for my best friend, a little soft blanket for a friend's newborn son, a cushion cover for my rocking chair (my first ever cushion cover no less!) and of course the colourful circle granny blanket in the post below for another baby. So in December I made the decision to make a blanket just. for. me.

I only have one other blanket and that's the Summer Garden Attic 24 pattern that I made when I first started crocheting 3 years ago. It's not very big and is not made from very good yarn. it took forever and, although I love it, I knew I could do better.

This blanket only took about 2 months to make; I kind of chose the colours randomly although I tried a yellow at one point and hated it so there is only one sole yellow circle in the whole thing. I worked with about 5 balls at any one time which I put in a little bag and hung from a butchers hook on the radiator next to where I crochet on the sofa - which I thought was a really cunning way to keep all my work together actually! I did a whole pile of colours and then I'd do all the white rounds in one go.

The only criteria for the yarn was that the colour had to beautiful and in a hue that matched the others, and it couldn't be too thick or thin or the squares would be slightly different sizes. I often pop into the local craft shop and just pick up a ball or two and I've never decided on a colour scheme for a project then gone and bought the yarn for it - I've always just worked with what I already have.

Saying that, I always work with white Baby Rico DK yarn though; I absolutely love it. White to me is modern, clean, fresh, simple and it works perfectly to bring out any colours used with it. Rico is lovely and soft and I'm gutted that my local yarn shop is going out of business as now I only have the mainstream place in town which is further away, doesn't sell Rico, and is much more expensive. I can only buy Rico online now which is a real shame.

Anyway, back to my gorgeous blanket. You can see by looking at it exactly how I structured the square as it's just (US) double crochet all the way round. I used a 4mm hook as usual then whip stitched the squares together (I personally like the joining process rather than joining as I go, I also weave my loose ends in as I go so never have a hundreds to do in one go) then did dc stitches all the way around to make a wide border. I decided on a single crochet purple for the final round as this was the colour I loved the most.

I must admit that I adore my new blanket. It hangs over the bottom of my bed and each evening I look at it and feel immensely chuffed at my efforts. I rarely use it to be honest as it's so gorgeous I don't want to damage it (I know that's not the point of having one!) plus I have 2 kittens who I think would claw it to pieces should they be allowed full access to it. I actually enjoyed making this so much and it was so quick and easy to make, that I think I'll start making another one for a friend.

Finished! Colourful Circle Granny Blanket

Remember how I told you how I'd happily beavering away at my new colourful circle granny blanket? My intention was that the blanket would be just for me and I was going to keep going until it was massive. Well of course, this has not how it has panned out at all...

My boyfriends Mum loved it so much she asked if I could make one for her friends newborn baby. So instead of starting another load of circle squares, I decided to make up the squares I already had and give her the blanket instead. I didn't want to finish my own blanket and then have to do it all again, as I've discovered that it doesn't matter how much you love crocheting a blanket, after 200 squares you can become sick of the sight of it!

The finished baby blanket ended up being 40 squares in size with 3 rows of double crochet for the border. I used my own variation of this reduction method for crocheting the first round of the border so it doesn't bunch up, and I did 3 double crochet stitches in each corner stitch in the last round to keep it from curling up there as well.

I've tried fancier borders but I like the edging to be quite simple when I work in white so the star of the show is the colourful middle squares. I'm not a huge fan of mad colour, but I like it when it's used carefully and separated by white. I adore reading Attic 24's blog but I don't have her enthusiasm for lots of colours all together - I prefer a cleaner look I guess is how you'd put it. I don't have the eye for the combinations either - plus I'm quite minimalist by nature!

I've still have quite a few of these circles squares left which is lucky really as she's asked for one for another new baby! I've always fancied making one of these Babette Blankets where the squares are all different sizes so I think I might put the leftover squares towards one of these instead.

Speaking of inspiration, I've got a gorgeous Crochet board over on Pinterest if you fancy having a look!

Crocheted White Baby Blanket

In my last post I mentioned a white blanket I'd crocheted for a friends new baby - yes, the one I had forgetfully neglected to photograph before I handed it over. Well the baby's Mum has kindly taken some pictures for me to share with you!

Some of the squares are the same, but most of them are completely unique. If I remember there were 12 square altogether and they were all crocheted with white Baby Rico wool. The squares were sewn together with a whip stitch and the border is just a few rows of double crochet. The patterns for each square came from a brilliant book by Jan Eaton called 200 Crochet Blocks For Blankets, Throws and Afghans. All the blocks are made to the same dimensions which made it very easy to piece together.

I wanted to keep the border simple as I hope to add more squares around the outside and the blanket can grow as the baby does. Baby Rico wool is absolutely lovely - it's very easy to work with and so soft you just want to rub it against your face all day!

The blanket came to a grinding halt actually as I ran out of the Baby Rico with one square and the border left to complete! I called every wool shop in Sussex and they either didn't stock Baby Rico or they had no white left - It was a nightmare. Eventually I ordered it online from Black Sheep Wools and managed to finish the project.

In fact Black Sheep didn't have any white in stock either so it was another 3 weeks until I could resume the blanket which was very frustrating. Turns out that White Baby Rico is the most sought-after wool in the South!

I have a lovely wool shop near me in Hove called Cocoon and as soon as they restocked the white Rico I went in and bought every ball they had on display! 12 balls ended up in my bag home and a few days ago I went in and bought the rest... just to make sure. I use a LOT of white wool so I know I will use it at some point - plus I'm not risking running out in the middle of a project again!

Colourful Circle Granny Blanket

Dear lord my last post was a long time ago! I do have (lots and lots) of excuses however: I run my own PA business which has its own productivity blog, I run a personal blog which is under a pseudonym, I have had lots of work on, I've been on a business trip (to Vegas no less!) and I've just been plain busy.

I have however been crocheting all this time. I crochet all the time - I love it. I made a lovely soft white blanket for a friends baby who was born in the last minute of Christmas Day. Nearly every square was different and it took ages to make even though it was so small. I've asked them to send me some photos as I was so desperate to give it to them that I forgot to take some!

Over the last month I've been working on this circle blanket. Most of the circles look like hexagons at the moment but I'm hoping they will round up when I block it. I started off doing chain 2 in the first white round corner but changed to chain 3 and this made it a bit rounder. I've used mixtures of colours from my vast stash of wool, and the white is Rico Baby to make the overall blanket soft.

I kind of made the pattern up myself based on something I saw on Pinterest but this is how I did it. (US Terms)

Coloured Circles

Start with a magic circle and make 16 double crochet stitches. Join with a slip stitch = 16 dc stitches
Make a slip stitch into the gap between the double crochet spokes you have just made
Chain 3 (counts as a dc) then double crochet into the same gap
Continue to make 2 double crochet into the gap of the spokes of the first round. Join with a slip stitch to the first dc of the last round = 32 dc stitches
Change colour - choose contrasting or complementary wool
Chain 3 (counts as a dc) then double crochet into the same stitch
Double crochet once into the next stitch then 2 into the next and repeat all around (2 dc then 1dc, 2dc then 1 dc etc) you should end up with 48 dc stitches.
Finish with a slip stitch into the top of the beginning chain 3

White border

Using white wool, single crochet into 6 of the stitches from the last round
Then 1 x half double crochet
Then 1 x double crochet
Then 1 x triple crochet
Chain 3 to make the corner then do the same in reverse (triple, double, half double, 6 single)
Repeat all the way around and join to the last round with a slip stitch
Chain 3
Double crochet in the next stitch and every stitch all the way around until you reach the corner chain 3
Then 2 x double crochet, chain 3, then another 2 x double crochet into this chain 3 space
Keep going all the way round doing 2xdc, chain 3, 2xdc in the chain 3 corners of the previous round
Join to the top of the chain 3 of the last round with a slip stitch
Chain 1
Single crochet in every stitch but do 5 x single crochet over the 3 chains in each corner.
Join with a slip stitch to your first chain 1

I don't have a very bright flat so the photos may be a bit dark. I hope you can see how it all works though, and if not then contact me and I can clarify anything you'd like to know.

I've made about 50 squares so far and will probably need about 200 I imagine. The thing I love about making blankets though is that you can just sit and focus on the square you're making and know that one day they will all come together to make something really lovely. You can also work on different projects at a time and not get bored.

Saying that, I really like making these circle squares so I might actually just keep going and crochet the biggest blanket ever made!

How To Make Crochet Roses

I love fresh flowers but the cost can really add up and sadly they always end up dying! So over the last few days I have been making some crochet roses for the windowsill by my desk. Each rose doesn't take long at all and you can easily make a bunch of 6 to 10 roses in an evening.

This is how you make them (US terms)

For the rose

Using a 4mm hook Chain 46
Single crochet into the second chain from the hook.
Single crochet in each stitch to the other end (total of 45 single stitches)
Chain 1 then turn

Single crochet into the first stitch
Miss a stitch then double crochet, chain one, double, crochet, chain one, double crochet, chain one, double crochet (you will have 4 double crochet with a chain one space between each)
Miss a stitch then single crochet into the next stitch.
Miss a stitch then repeat the double crochet cluster
Repeat until you reach the end of the row
Fasten off and cut the yarn leaving about 6 inches

Roll the rose up into a tight spiral (this can be fiddly but keep an eye on the back - you're winding the flat edge round keeping the scalloped edge on top)
Pass the yarn through all the layers at the bottom of the rose.
Turn and stitch through again once or twice so the rose is secure

For the base of the rose (the calyx)

Chain 5 into a magic circle (or make a circle with 5 single crochet stitches whichever is easiest for you)
Chain 4 into the next stitch
Single crochet into the second chain from the hook and then into the next 2 chains after that to make a point
Do this into every one of the 5 chains then slip stitch to fasten off.
Stitch the calyx to the base of the rose making sure the 'leaves' hang downwards

For the stem

Get some wire from the hardware store. I used 2mm thickness
Using wire cutters/pliers, cut the wire about an inch longer than you need it
Knot the yarn at one end of the wire and wrap around until you reach the other end. Wrap the yarn over the knot and loose end. Push the yarn down as you go along so you don't end up with gaps
Knot the yarn at the other end, then cut it leaving about 8 inches
Using the pliers curl the wire round to make a small circle. Make sure the end is closed
Wrap more yarn to the end if you need to using a hook to pull it through the loop if required
Using the pliers, twist the circle so that the O faces towards the ceiling
Pinch the circle closed again if it has opened up
Use the length of yarn to sew the circle to the bottom of the calyx
Make a couple of stitches to secure the yarn then fasten off
Using the pliers, twist the bottom of the stem to fold it up so there are no sharp edges and the yarn doesn't fall off the end

That's it! You now have everlasting flowers! Assembling the rose can be a bit fiddly but once you've made one you'll get the hang of it no problem. And if you use a metal or frosted vase then you won't have to worry about the bottom of the stems being visible either.

Let me know if you are unclear about any of the processes and I'd love to see your finished roses once you've made them!

Colourful Brighton - Sugar!

Little Sugar Mice - Yum!

Brighton is full of gorgeous boutiques, antique shops, trendy galleries, cosy cafes, and a million other places to while away the day. It also has a vast array of places to stuff your face with sugar.

From retro sweet shops and fancy cupcakes, to amazing chocolate creations and donuts on the pier... I'm amazed any of us still have a tooth in our heads!

Candy Cane Colour

The sugar mice at the top are from a tiny little sweet shop just as you enter the South Lanes from North Street. They mostly specialise in fudge, but these sugar mice caught my eye as I used to have one of these in my Christmas stocking each year and haven't had one for ages!

Dainty Cupcakes

These beautiful cupcakes are from The Angel Food Bakery just along from where the sugar mice live. The queue is often out of the door and the 3-tiered cakes are quite something to behold. These people really know their cake!

Fizziwigs

Fizziwigs is right in the centre of the South Lanes and has a vast array or tempting sweets. Brighton now has a few old-fashioned sweet shops but fizziwigs was one of the first I think. The only complaint I have is that there's too much choice!

User Review - Pinterest

Recently I discovered a brilliant website call Pinterest. It's kind of like Evernote (which is an incredible website) but just for images. So where I might capture business articles or crochet tutorials and clip them into my Evernote notebooks, I use Pinterest solely for stashing inspirational images.

You go to the Pinterest website and sign up then make sure you add the extension to your browser. I use Chrome which is the best browser out there in my professional opinion as a Virtual Assistant (don't use Internet Explorer - it's slow and full of security holes) and adding it was done at a click of a button.

Then, when you're on a website and you see an image you'd like to take, you click the icon on your browser to 'pin' the image to your account. Once you press the icon it will want to know which image on the page you would like to pin, so you hover over the images it's found, find your image and click 'Pin This'. A little box then pops up so you can write a description and select which pinboard you want to add it to.

I have a few pinboards including Style Inspiration, Ideas For The New Flat (we're moving soon) Crochet, and Old School Glamour. Once you're on the website itself, you can also browse through other members pins and Comment, Like, Mention.or Repin the image to your own board. This part is addictive and I've spent (wasted) entire evenings doing this!

I think the site is a great way or recording inspirational images that you want to refer back to later and is brilliant if you're decorating your home, looking for new inspiration, or a collector of beautiful images. If someone has an picture direct from a site rather than a 'Repin', you can also click to the website itself and see what else they have to offer.

Pinterest is great and I recommend you try it out straight away! If you would like to see my personal pinboards then please feel free to click the box in the sidebar on the right and take a look... see you there!

The Knitted Garden

This is the knitted garden that my boyfriend's aunt Monica Crowe made for the charity Emmaus here in Brighton. Pretty cool huh?

She did a knitted living room a while back complete with a piano, a TV with old-school test card and even a little sleeping cat!

John Lewis Dreaming

This weekend I went back to visit my family back in my home town of Milton Keynes (don't judge me!) we don't have a John Lewis store here in Brighton so I went with my best friend to check out the haberdashery section.

I had my camera with me so I thought it would be nice to share the pictures I took.

A whole wall of wool!

Peachy!

Citrus Combos

Autumn on a roll

Brighton Mini Makers Faire 2011

Yesterday I had a table at the Brighton Mini Makers Faire. Although I've taught people one-to-one before, it was the first time I'd attended such an event and teaching people as and when they sat down was a much different experience!

Luckily one of the volunteers also knew how to crochet so she spent much of the day helping me out. Thank God she was around because I hadn't been prepared for the numbers at all! I heard that five and a half thousand people came through during the day which is incredible.

It was really hot in the venue and the gingerbread lady next to me (she made gingerbread rather than being made from it) was worried her gingerbread tower would collapse. Personally I was a bit gutted that I was next to her table all day and didn't once manage to eat any of it.

I learned a lot from the day and am now much more prepared for when I do another one. I hadn't printed enough tutorial handouts so had to run to a newsagent twice to copy more, I bought far more stuff than the table would fit (although luckily the person next to me was a no-show so I pinched their table as well) I hadn't accounted for such a high demand, and I bought food but was too busy to eat any of it!

Because I was so busy I didn't get to see any of the other stands which was a shame. I glimpsed some wondrous things as I ran through on my way to the newsagents though, and I've since seen some great photos when I've clicked through to links on Twitter.

If you fancy taking a look at what went on at the faire then you can either search under the Twitter hashtag #BMMF or follow @MakerFaireBTN. There are some mad photos appearing on the Flickr page too.

So overall I had a brilliant time. I taught loads of people how to crochet, got to show what kinds of things you can make, met tonnes of really nice people, and got my first taste of having my own stand. I can't wait for the next one!

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